Night Disturbance

The sky had completely darkened, and the carriage was speeding through the starlight.

The Seventh Young Master, looking utterly dejected, clung to the carriage door and asked Gao Yuan, "Are we there yet?"

"We should be soon, right?" Gao Yuan replied uncertainly.

"If you can't even find the right road, what good are you!" the Seventh Young Master cursed. "When we get back, you're fired!"

"I know how to drive, but I don't know how to navigate!" Gao Yuan retorted, quickly shifting the blame. "Why aren't you yelling at Zheng Fa? He can't even find his way home!"

Both of them turned their heads to stare at Zheng Fa, who was watching the spectacle from the side as if he had nothing to do with it.

Zheng Fa: ...So this blame really is his.

Once they were out of the city, all the roads looked pretty much the same. Who knew which fork in the road was the right one?

In the modern world, after mobile navigation became common, many people forgot how to read maps.

What's more, there weren't even any road signs here; they had to rely on the old horse's instinct.

"Hmm, this road should be the right one! No doubt about it!"

Fortunately, Zheng Fa had a good memory. Recalling the scenery along the way, he finally found the correct intersection.

Hearing Zheng Fa's confident reply, the Seventh Young Master turned back and sat down in his chair. He touched his stomach, frowned, and said, "I'm so hungry! Is there anything to eat?"

They had set off after lunch. At the carriage's speed, they should have arrived at the Zheng Family's estate before dinner.

But now that they had taken the wrong road and lost half a day, forget dinner.

They had even missed the time for a late-night snack.

All three of them were actually hungry.

Zheng Fa keenly noticed that when the Seventh Young Master said this, he was staring at the food box at his feet.

He thought for a moment, then picked up the food box.

The Seventh Young Master smiled, then watched in disbelief as Zheng Fa hid the food box behind his back.

He won't even let me look?

"Zheng Fa!"

"Hmm?" Zheng Fa seemed a bit lost.

"I'm hungry!"

"I'm hungry too," Zheng Fa said with a look of deep empathy.

"I saw it, you took so many pastries from the kitchen, they're all in there!"

Seeing him play dumb, the Seventh Young Master revealed his true intentions.

"These are for my sister," Zheng Fa refused coldly. "It's just a small amount."

"...Brother!"

Even though Zheng Fa considered himself more worldly than the people in this world, he was still shocked by the Seventh Young Master's shamelessness.

"She's only six years old..."

Zheng Fa left unsaid: And you have the nerve?

"I'm hungry!"

Zheng Fa sighed. Someone of the Seventh Young Master's background must never have gone hungry in his life.

That's why he couldn't stand it.

He opened the food box. Inside, two plates of small pastries were piled up. Zheng Fa had picked out the ones he found delicious.

Now, everyone in the Zhao Manor knew that Zheng Fa had some standing with the Seventh Young Master. If Zheng Fa mentioned it to the kitchen, someone would make these pastries for him.

"Here!" He handed over a plate of pastries.

The Seventh Young Master grabbed a piece of bean cake and stuffed it into his mouth.

Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then lifted the carriage curtain and said to Gao Yuan, "Gao Yuan, you must be hungry after driving all this way. Have some."

He handed the plate over. Gao Yuan nodded and eagerly took a piece.

Zheng Fa figured that since they were both at an age where they could eat a lot, a small pastry probably wouldn't fill them up. He placed the food box inside the carriage and said, "Take more after you finish."

The Seventh Young Master quickly finished a piece of bean cake. He sat back down without taking another pastry and asked with some confusion, "Aren't you eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

Zheng Fa smiled.

The Seventh Young Master looked at his hands, which were licked clean of even pastry crumbs, and then at Zheng Fa. He remembered that they had all eaten lunch together.

He and Gao Yuan were both hungry.

Zheng Fa wasn't hungry?

Perhaps he wants to save more for his sister?

The Seventh Young Master swallowed, then suddenly said, "I'm not that hungry anymore. I won't eat."

Outside the carriage, Gao Yuan also said, "No water, I'm too full and uncomfortable! I won't eat either."

Zheng Fa actually didn't feel too hungry; he was probably used to enduring hunger.

He did indeed intend to save a few pieces for his sister.

These two...

He didn't try to persuade them further, smiling as he closed the food box. "We're almost there, we can eat when we arrive."

Just as Zheng Fa said, in less than half an hour, they saw the dark silhouettes of houses under the starry sky.

"We're here!"

The Seventh Young Master gazed afar at the cluster of small houses, wishing he could jump off the carriage.

Suddenly, the leading house lit up with a torch.

Gongs and drums sounded.

The villagers, long asleep, got up one after another, lighting candles in their homes.

The entire village seemed to stir in a chaotic awakening.

"What's going on?"

The Seventh Young Master asked, astonished, looking at the village in disarray.

"They're afraid of bandits. We arrived too late, and the sentries couldn't see the carriage clearly, thinking we had ill intentions."

The Xuanwei Realm was not peaceful.

Jingzhou City was fine, but villages outside the city often faced raids by bandits.

The village had young men on watch every night.

His tone was a little somber.

Zheng Fa's father was the one on watch that night the demonic beasts descended...

At this moment, the village was already in a panic.

Mother Zheng, holding a groggy Zheng Shan in her arms, looked outside through the window.

"Mom?"

Zheng Shan felt her mother trembling.

Mother Zheng forced a smile at her daughter. Zheng Shan was only one year old when her husband passed away and had no memory of it.

But she would never forget.

That year, it was the same sound of gongs and drums, the same chaos.

After a while, a villager suddenly ran over and shouted, "It's okay, it's okay! It's the manor's carriage that's arrived!"

Zheng Shan felt her mother's arms around her suddenly relax, and a sigh came from above her head.

A moment later, her mother's body suddenly stiffened.

She put Zheng Shan down and ran madly outside.

"Mom? What happened!"

Zheng Shan watched her mother, barefoot, stumble after her.

Mother Zheng didn't answer, nor did she dare to.

A while ago, when Wang Gui was beaten by Madam and sent back.

It was also a carriage.

It was also a night.

People from the manor had suddenly arrived, carrying a barely conscious Wang Gui.

At Steward Wang's house, Wang Gui, now dressed, was excitedly muttering to his father.

"I told you Zheng Fa wouldn't last! We should have dealt with the Zheng Family earlier! Dad, you always said to wait, just wait!"

"Shut your stinking mouth."

Wang Gui stopped talking, but his face still showed defiance.

Steward Wang knew his son was not entirely wrong.

He also knew a little about the Seventh Young Master's temper.

His own son being sent back was one thing, but this Seventh Young Master was truly difficult to serve.

Moreover, people from the manor rarely came this late.

Just as Mother Zheng thought, he also remembered the night his son was sent back.

"It's right to be cautious! Besides, he's been cast aside by the Seventh Young Master, and his whole family is in the village, where can they go? What's the rush?"

Steward Wang lectured his son before walking towards the outside of the village.

Wang Gui followed behind, smiling. He knew his father would never stop him again.

A carriage was slowly approaching. Wang Gui looked at Gao Yuan, who was driving it, and felt a bit puzzled by how young and unfamiliar the man was.

And where was Zheng Fa?

Was he lying in the carriage?

He peeked into the carriage and saw the curtain being lifted. The Seventh Young Master poked his head out.

The Seventh Young Master?

Wang Gui stared at the Seventh Young Master's face, dumbfounded. He couldn't understand why the other man would be here.

Could he have come to pick me up?

"Young Master!" he called out excitedly, secretly vowing in his heart: The Seventh Young Master has personally come to pick me up. I will surely give my all!

This time, even if Madam broke my legs, I'd still take him to Misty Rain Tower!

"Huh? You live here too?"

At this moment, the Seventh Young Master's surprised face felt so cold and hurtful to Wang Gui.